Water seal for fefrigerators.



y E.J.FuLToN.

WATER SEAL FOR REFRIGERA'TORS. APPucATlN F|LED,1AN.21.1915.

Llmg Patented Jan.11v,1916.

llllglll/lfllllln coLuMBlA- FLANOGRAPH Ca.. WASHINGTON. D. c.

ELZA J'. FULTON, OF ST. LOUS, MISSUR-.

VATER SEAL FR pecificaticn of Letters 1?atent.

Patented dan. 11, 1316.

Application 'filed rl'anuary 2]., 19.1.5. Serial No. 3,590.

To Z310/0m t may concern Be it known that 1, ELIZA J. FULTON, a citizen of the United States, residing'at St. Louis, Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful improvement in Water Seals for Refrigerators, of which the following'is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in whichu Figure 1 is a perspective view of a water seal or trap of my improved construction, a portion thereof being broken away in order to more clearly illustrate the same. Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken through the center of the water seal or trap, the same being applied to the drip or drain pipe of a refrigerator. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of a modified form of the water seal or trap, the same being applied to a drip or drain pipe. Fig. d is a vertical section of a further modified form of the seal or trap. Fig. 5 is a vertical section of a further modified form of the seal or trap.

My invention relates to newand useful improvements in water seals or traps for drip or drain pipes and the embodiments of my invention as herein shown and described is particularly intended for use in connection with the drain pipes of refrigerators.

It is very desirable that the drip or drain pipes of refrigerators, ice-boxes and the like be equipped with a device which will readily permit the discharge of water to the waste pipe or sewer connection, and at the saine time prevent the passage of air through the drain or drip pipe to the interior of the refrigerator, and it is the principal object of my invention to provide a comparatively simple inexpensive device which can be easily and` quickly applied to or removed from the drain or drip pipe, and which device is eiiicient in performing the desired functions.

Further objects of my invention are to provide a water seal or trap which can be applied to drip or drain pipes of various diameters; to provide a trap which can be readily removed to facilitate cleaning, and

further, to construct a trap so that when the same is applied to the drip or drain pipe, it will not partially close and choke the discharge end of said pipe.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, my invention consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts, hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

Referring by numerals to the accompanying drawings and particularly to the form of device illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, 10 designates a small receptacle, preferably in the form of a metal cup, of any desired depth and diameter, and fixed in any suitable nianner to the central portion of the bottoni of said cup is a disk 11. Formed integral with or fixed to this disk is a series of upwardly projecting curved fingers 12 which are resilient to a certain degree and the upper portions of these fingers are bent inwardly and thence outwardly as designated by 13.

When the device is applied to a drip or drain pipe, the inwardly bent upper portions of these fingers are intended to yieldingly engage the drip or drain pipe, and to cause the fingers to grip the pipe with sufficient pressure to maintain the trap in proper position an elastic member 1li in the form of a rubber band or a ring formed of a coil of light wire is positioned around the inwardly bent portions 13 of the fingers 12, thus holding said fingers with considerable pressure against the drain pipe.

Cut or stamped from the disk 11 is a tongue 15 which is bent upwardly so that it occupies a vertical position, and this tongue acts as a stop to engage the lower end of the drip or drain pipe when the trap is applied thereto, thus preventing said trap from being forced upwardly to a position where the disk would close the lower end of the drain or drip pipe.

1n the form of device illustrated in Fig. 3, the fingers 12d are hinged to the edge of the disk 11"L and the inwardly bent upper ends of said fingers are inclosed by a ring, preferably formed of a coil of small wire.

In the form of device illustrated in Fig. l, the lower portions of the fingers 12b are bent directly upward from the edge of the disk 11b and a short distance above said disk said lingers are bent outwardly and thence curved upwardly, thereby providing hori- Zontally disposed shoulders 16 which serve as stops to engage against the lower end of the drain pipe and performing the same functions as the upturned lip 15.

1n the construction illustrated in Fig. 5 resilient lingers 12c extend upward and ine ward from the upper edge of the cup 10 and the upper ends of these fingers are adapted to engage the drain pipe at a point above an elastic ring which is positioned on said drain pipe. in this form or' device a stop 17 is formed integral with the upper edge of the cup and extends downwardly and thence toward the center oi? said cup to engage the lower end of the drain pipe.

A water seal or trap of my improved construction is comparatively simple, can be easily and cheaply manufactured, can be readily applied to drip or drain pipes of various diameters, an be readily removed in order to be cleaned or to facilitate the cleaning of the drip or drain pipe, and while permitting the ready escape of water from the drip or drain pipe, prevents the passage of air upwardly therethrough.

It will be readily understood that minor changes in the size, form and construction of the various parts of my improved seal or trap can be made and substituted for those herein shown and described, without departing from the spirit of my invention, the scope or' which is set forth in the appended claims.

claim:

l. A device of the class described comprising a receptacle, a series oi' drip pipe engaging fingers extending upwardly from the bottom of said receptacle, and an elastic member surrounding the upper portions of said lingers.

2. A device of the class described comprising a receptacle, a series of drip pipe engaging fingers extending upwardly from the bottom of said receptacle, and a drip pipe stop projecting upwardly Jfrom the bottom of said receptacle.

3. A device of the class described comprising a receptacle, a series of drip pipe engaging fingers extending upwardly from the bottom of said receptacle, an elastic member surrounding` the upper portions of said iingers, and a drip pipe stop projecting upwardly 'from the bottom of said receptacle.

et. In a device of the class described, a receptacle, a member Xed to the bottom thereoi, a series of drip pipe engaging fingers projecting upwardly 'from said member, and an elastic member surrounding the upper portions of said fingers. Y

5. ln a device of the class described, a receptacle, a member fixed to the bottom thereof, a series of drip pipe engaging lingers projecting upwardly from said member, and a drip pipe engaging stop projecting upwardly from said member.

G. In a device of the class described, a receptacle, a member iXed to the bottom thereof, a series of drip pipe engaging fingers projecting upwardly from said member, an elastic member surrounding the upper portions of said fingers, and a drip pipe engaging stop projecting upwardly from said member.

In testimony whereof I hereunto airix my signature in the presence of two witnesses, this 18th day of January, 1915.

ELIZA J. FULTON. lVitnesses M.VP. SMITH, M. A. HANDEL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for rive cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

